Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is Awesome Fun

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse not only manages to improve on its predecessor but it is one of the best pictures of the year. Unlike many Marvel films that came before, there is not a scene during the credits. However, there is a lot of animation to appreciate as the credits run their course. It’s the ONLY disappointment about an otherwise amazing film. What I can say with 100% certainty is that Spider-Man: Across the Universe…

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is Awesome Fun"

Safety Not Guaranteed Marks 10th Anniversary

Safety Not Guaranteed put Colin Trevorrow on the map and the time travel comedy holds up beautifully on the tenth anniversary. The time travel ad was originally published back in 1997 in Backwoods Home and written by Senior Editor John Silveira. Silveira got over 1000 responses and they were still coming well into the film’s home entertainment release. I’m sure he is probably getting responses today. Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me.…

"Safety Not Guaranteed Marks 10th Anniversary"

No Strings Attached: Another Sex Friends Rom-Com

No Strings Attached, directed by Ivan Reitman, was the first of two sex friends romantic comedies to be released in 2011. With everything going on in early 2021, you couldn’t blame me for missing the tenth anniversary. Same goes for Friends with Benefits. The other film opened six months later but it’s the better of the two films. No Strings Attached turned out to be the penultimate film directed by Ivan Reitman. It’s in the…

"No Strings Attached: Another Sex Friends Rom-Com"

Ride the Eagle: A Heartfelt Comedy

Ride the Eagle is a heartfelt comedy that feels timely and should be able to resonate with audiences well over a year into the pandemic. Leif (Jake Johnson) doesn’t have the best relationship with his mother, Honey (Susan Sarandon). The two of them are estranged when she passes away. It’s not like it was any one thing that set them apart. She made choices that Leif didn’t agree with and the rest is history. Nobody…

"Ride the Eagle: A Heartfelt Comedy"

Stumptown: Cobie Smulders Leads Adaptation

Cobie Smulders leads Stumptown as the adaptation of the graphic novel series made its series premiere on Wednesday night. Through flashbacks, we learn that Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders) used to serve in military intelligence.  Yet she also isn’t the easiest person to work with.  She has gambling debt up the wazoo with Sue Lynn Blackbird’s (Tantoo Cardinal) casino.  At the same time, Dex is the first person that casino owner Sue Lynn turns when grandaughter…

"Stumptown: Cobie Smulders Leads Adaptation"

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse features many surprises and prevents the superhero genre from going stale by injecting a fresh bite. This is one of the biggest films of the year in which I suggest going in completely cold.  It means not reading reviews or watching trailers until after seeing the film.  I say this because we’re not without the typical surprises.  However, some of this comes by way of the voice roles not provided in…

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"

Upon Further Review: Jurassic World

With the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom this week, I decided to give Jurassic World a revisit. Fourteen years after the events of Jurassic Park 3, a new park has been up and running for ten years on Isla Nublar.  This is the same island in which Jurassic Park was introduced in 1993.  A lot has changed over the years since Jurassic Park graced the cinemas.  It’s enough that the screenplay manages to serve as…

"Upon Further Review: Jurassic World"

Tag: You’re It In This Fun Summer Comedy!

Tag is a fun summer comedy about a group of friends who get together during the month of May for a very competitive game.  They’ve been playing tag since since 1983 and one player has never been tagged. Set in 2013, Hogan “Hoagie” Malloy (Ed Helms), Randy “Chilli” Cilliano (Jake Johnson), Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress), Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner) have gotten together every May for the last 30 years.  What makes this…

"Tag: You’re It In This Fun Summer Comedy!"

Chicago Film Festival: Joe Swanberg’s Closing Keynote Session

Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg sat one-one-one with Anthony Kaufman of the Chicago International Film Festival as Industry Days headed towards a close. Swanberg had stepped in to replace Marc Evans, the President of the Motion Picture Group at Paramount Pictures., after it was announced that Evans would be stepping down by the end of the year. On producing a series for Netflix, Swanberg said that he missed the test screenings that came with releasing new films.  Those…

"Chicago Film Festival: Joe Swanberg’s Closing Keynote Session"